Idgel Research Centre
by Hybri
Summary: The portal to an previously unknown research lab has Pyro living out his worst nightmare.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: This is my very first attempt at writing a story. Reviews would be much appreciated. The main character, Pyro, is based on my level 65 spiritmaster residing in Siel, NA servers. I've been to the instance that I will be describing here. Please keep in mind that I will be altering a lot of the details within the instance. **_

**Warning: Will contain lots of gore, blood, description of torture, and disturbing events. Read at your own discretion!**

Pyro sat with his back against the trunk of the tree, eyes glazed over. The fresh metallic smell of blood spurting erratically from his wounds has turned rancid as it slowly dried up. His normally fair white hair is knotted with streaks of dirt. The tear tracks on his face are clearly visible.

Another one of them has lost her sanity.

His eyes stung as he re-lived the memory of Melody thrashing wildly, attempting to bury her claws in her own throat as panicked guards tried to hold her down. He remembered desperately trying to calm her while deafened by her terrible wails. A woman bereaved of her child could not have produced a more heart-rending noise. Her eyes were blank and unseeing; her mind stuck in the horrifying mission that their team last undertook.

Then she broke free. Baring her bloodstained teeth, she pounced at him, her best friend. He did not even try to deflect her claws as they ripped his skin open. Instead, he held her tightly as more guards were summoned and dragged her away, kicking and screaming.

He remained oblivious to the clerics healing the deep gashes on his body as he thought of what they had seen on their mission that would make him question everything that he'd ever known.

. . . . .

Mental Health Centre is a treatment facility for daevas who need professional help in coping with psychological scars they've acquired on the battlefield. When the idea for a hospital specializing in psychiatry was first brought up, the higher-ups dismissed it as a waste of the faction's resources. But as more and more daevas succumbed to their inner wounds, Pandemonium gave in and ordered the construction of the building. Psychiatrists and nurses were trained and hired. Today, the Centre is filled to capacity with patients, some of whom afflicted with such severe conditions that they were kept there for years.

Pyro sat wearily in the waiting area of the facility, his Wind Spirit by his side. A few patients are gathered around a coffee table playing a board game, observed by a nurse nearby who periodically jotted notes down on her clipboard. Occasionally the corners of her lips would curl upward at something one of them said. Despite the generally relaxed atmosphere, Pyro could sense the depression contorting the features of the daevas. There was heaviness in their every movement, shadows lacing their smiles; he knew that despite their best efforts to escape, whatever had put them in this place haunts them without respite.

His gaze drifted past them to the bulletproof glass doors barring him from the PICU: the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit, where Melody was taken. The screams had stopped, thank Azphel; probably due to her having been injected with anti-anxiety meds to calm her down. If she was in danger of hurting herself or other daevas, she would've been held down while given the syringe.

Pyro knew the drill well. After all, he had been in and out of here several times.

A nurse opened the door and gestured to him, breaking his reverie. Her smile was thin. Inwardly frowning at the pronounced stress in her features, Pyro followed her inside. The nurses in the nursing station nodded at him in recognition as he passed them en route to the patient rooms. A curtain hung over every doorway for an attempt at privacy. Cameras were installed in every room for 24/7 surveillance. Pyro remembered feeling uneasy at being watched, even if they said it was to make sure he was safe.

The nurse stops at one of the rooms and motions for him to come inside. His breath hitches upon seeing clumps of lavender hair litter the floor. Slowly he dares himself to look at the lone occupant of the bed, and as he did so, his eyes well up again. Melody lay strapped down to it. Slivers of hair remain between her claws, stained with crusted blood; testify to the violence she did herself. Patches of blood, some still fresh, adorn her scalp. A blanket covered most of her body, exposed under her ripped clothes. Bits of foam remain on the corners of her mouth, a sign that she had been convulsing. He takes a seat on the chair next to her bed and touches her hand.

"Mel," he whispers.

"She finally went to sleep a few minutes ago." The nurse murmured.

"Is she going to be alright?"

"We'll talk to her and do some tests when she wakes up. Hopefully she'll be in a calmer state of mind by then."

He doubted anything would be able to erase the terrible things she has seen. One by one his teammates had fallen prey to the horrors they witnessed during their trek through Idgel Research Center.

. . . . . . . .

It had begun as a spy mission on Pradeth, occupied at the time by the Elyos. Pyro's team was sent with the objective of accessing the fortifications of the fortress before the invasion scheduled to take place next day. Any weak points they report will be targeted first. One single mistake could mean defeat: thus there was no room for error.

The three assassins and ranger doing most of the scouting were faring well so far. Through headsets they reported the number of guards at each gate as well as the ones patrolling the walls. Pyro and Melody, their cleric, remained behind in the safe zone in case backup is needed.

"Hey! I found something!" one of the assassins whispered excitedly.

"What?" Instantly Pyro went on alert.

"It's a portal. I've never seen it before...I wonder what it does?"

"Wait! Don't touch it!" he shouted. But it was too late, it seemed. There was only dead silence at the other end. A string of profanities made their way out of his mouth as a message appeared telepathically in his mind: _The Idgel Research Center has opened_.

"We have to go after him. He could be in huge trouble!" The ranger intoned worriedly.

"All the more reason why we should call for backup before doing anything rash," Pyro snapped.

"Chances are it's an abandoned old research lab." Another assassin argued.

"We'll be the first one to discover a new hideout! We'll be famous!" The third assassin chirped. "What're you waiting for?" Their ends went silent as well.

"Dammit!" He cursed. Despairing, he looked at Melody. She shrugs.

"We're a geared team, Pyro. I think we'll be able to hold our ground if we come across Elyos or Beritra's forces. We should hurry to them though. It wouldn't be wise to leave them be without heals."

He relented. "Alright. But don't blame me if shit goes wrong."

She giggles. "You always worry too much."

As they reached the location of the portal where their teammates were last heard from, a strange sense of foreboding twisted like a knife in his stomach. His Wind Spirit whimpered nervously, the hairs on its back standing on end. He tried to convince himself that, in the worst case scenario, they could just make their escape.

"Scared?" Melody winked at him mischievously, one hand already extended towards the swirling purple entrance.

"N-no way!" He forced a smile onto his face. It quickly turned into a frown as he felt his pet rake its claws on his leg urgently. The spirit usually retained its calm even when facing 20 Elyos. His disquiet worsened. "Mel, maybe we should-"he turned towards her direction, but she had disappeared into the portal.

Closing his eyes, he walked towards it. He lifted his right hand and waited. Slowly he felt the distorted space consume his essence. His last thought before being completely swallowed up? "I hope she's right."


	2. Chapter 2

**Edit: I inserted a new part into this chapter. Hope you like it!**

Pyro opened his eyes as he felt himself crystallize completely within the dungeon. Frowning, he turned to see only Melody standing at his side. She was biting her lip nervously.

"Where are they?" He inquired.

"I don't know. They were gone by the time I got here."

A flash of white appeared at the corner of his vision. It disappeared just as quickly. He whirled around and demanded, "Show yourself!" Melody's staff was immediately out, her narrowed eyes burning crimson as she scanned the place. He whipped out his spellbook and summoned an Earth Spirit, his irises matching hers.

Nothing happened. To his chagrin, he couldn't see all that well. The entire area in front of him was covered in a misty cloud. He could hear the skittering of rats crawling about. A terrible pungent odor assaulted his nostrils, causing him to grimace. It combined a strong metallic smell with the disgusting stench of something rotting. Beside him, the cleric gagged as she fought to hold back the contents of her stomach. As he helped her cover her nose with a scarf, the white figure appeared again.

An emaciated woman clothed in a thin sleeveless white dress hovered before them. Her slight frame was gaunt with malnutrition. Her eyes were expressionless slits. She was singing under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear.

"_Oh lost little puppy, where are you hiding..."_

His eyes widened to extreme proportions as he recognized her. The disturbed spiritmaster started to shake violently. It couldn't be. He rubbed his eyes hastily and looked again. She started to float away, prompting him and Melody to chase after her. They ran through dark passageways and rooms locked with dead bolts. Piercing screams sounded behind some of the doors, yet Pyro paid them no mind. He was lost entirely in his thoughts.

"_Oh lost little puppy..."_

He thought she was dead. She's supposed to be dead. There's no way she could've survived that.

"_Naughty boy, you should've stayed home..."_

He couldn't protect her back then. He had been a human.

"_Where are you hiding..."_

The smell of burning flesh was distinct now. The floor was littered with unidentifiable objects that squelched and spurted liquid under their feet. They were approaching an open room at the end of the hallway. Suddenly, the figure disappeared.

"No! You can't leave me again!" He screamed, tears streaming down his eyes. "MOTHER!"

. . . . Flashback . . . . . . . . . .

_Here the reader meets Pyro when he was 7 years old. He had not yet ascended. He lived with his mother, who was also human, in a poverty-stricken village. Drought was infesting the area at the time. Food, water, and hope were scarce. Each day, mother and son would go scavenging for nourishment. Dried roots, a buried onion, withered herbs; anything would do._

Pyro shielded his eyes from the harsh, glaring sun with a hand. This has been his home for his entire life so far. Yet he can still feel himself die a little on the inside, every day, as he scans the barren landscape for signs of life only to be disappointed.

Beside him, his mother was busy digging a hole in the thirsty dirt with a rock. A moment later, she looked up triumphantly, cradling a dandelion in her hand. The roots, leaves, and flowers of this plant are all edible. Pyro grinned as he snapped off the flower. Putting the hollow stem in his mouth, he sucked the bitter milk, wincing at the taste. His mother laughed.

"I'll leave the roots in the ground. It'll grow again and provide us with more food."

Pyro shook the dirt off the leaves and pocketed the plant. He followed her as she wandered over the field, searching hopefully for more dandelions. They'll put the roots into a soup for tonight, and eat the leaves raw.

A hot breeze brushed the drops of sweat trickling down his face. It carried with it a distinct metallic smell. The child had an uneasy feeling nagging him at him in the pit of his stomach. He stopped to squint in the direction from which the breeze blew, biting his thumb. He thought he saw shiny objects in the distance.

"Momma, look! What's that?"

"Hmmm?" She was distracted trying to pull out a lodged root.

"It coming closer," He responded. Now he could see dark figures behind the shiny things.

His mother looked up, paling immediately. She grabbed her child and ran to hide behind a large rock, the only source of concealment in the area. From there they could hear the screams of the villagers, strange voices yelling, and the sound of the huts being destroyed. She covered the 7-year old's ears with her hands and held him tightly as he trembled in fear.

Soon the sounds of pillaging began. She could hear loud swearing as the invaders found nothing of value. Her eyes darted across the field in front of her, desperately trying to find a place where her and her child could safely retreat to. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck bristled.

"Good morning," A low voice intoned mere inches from behind her.

Pyro remembered being frozen in terror as his mother covered him with her body to protect him. He remembered the blood filling his vision. The blood was everywhere. At first he thought he was dying, clutching his chest to make sure his heart was still beating. Then he realized...the blood...it was HERS. He remembered prodding her desperately, calling her name as tears streamed down his face. She didn't answer. He shook her with all his might. Her eyes were closed.

Then the dark figures closed in around him, blood-soaked shining steel glinting in the sun. A newfound power coursed through his body in that moment. He howled with heroic rage befitting more a grown warrior than a child of his age, charging towards them. He saw 4 spirits fighting by his side. He could feel the energies of wind, fire, water, and earth lacing the tips of his fingers; he called to them, and they empowered his attacks. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY MOM!" He shrieked. "GIVE HER BACK!"

The figures jerked back in surprise. He continued to aim punches at them. Through the heat, his rage, and the blood crusted on his face, he could tell that they weren't human. No, they looked more like the dragons in the stories his mother told him.

Then he felt pain on the back of his head and everything went dark.

When he woke up, she was gone. He never saw her again.


End file.
